Nestjs Drizzlenestjs-drizzle-crud vs nestjs-paginate
nestjs-drizzle-crud vs nestjs-paginate compared. One is a CRUD layer for Drizzle ORM, the other a TypeORM helper for paginated, filtered lists.
nestjs-drizzle-crud vs nestjs-paginate is mostly a question of ORM and scope. nestjs-paginate is a pagination and filtering helper for TypeORM repositories and query builders: it reads a list request and returns one page with metadata and links. nestjs-drizzle-crud is a full CRUD layer for Drizzle ORM: lists, pagination and filtering are one part of it, next to create, update, delete, soft delete, upsert and bulk writes.
How do the two libraries differ at a glance?
| nestjs-drizzle-crud | nestjs-paginate | |
|---|---|---|
| ORM | Drizzle ORM (drizzle-orm from 0.28.0 up to, not including, 1.0.0) | TypeORM (peer typeorm ^1.0.0 in 16.0.1, npm) |
| Databases | PostgreSQL and MySQL | PostgreSQL, CockroachDB, MySQL, MariaDB and SQLite appear in its JSONB support matrix |
| Scope | Reads and writes | Reading paginated lists |
| Entry point | SqlBaseCrudService subclass per table | paginate(query, repository, config) and the @Paginate() decorator |
| Offset pagination | Yes, { data, total, page, limit } | Yes, { data, meta, links }, which the README says conforms to JSON:API |
| Cursor pagination | Yes, opaque cursor over any sortable columns | Yes, on numeric and date columns (README) |
| Filter allowlist | Optional; unset allows every column | Required: operators are whitelisted per column in filterableColumns |
| Unknown filter | Always a 400 | Ignored by default, 400 with throwOnInvalidFilter: true |
| Boolean logic | or, and, not groups as bracket keys | A filter= expression with AND, OR, NOT and parentheses |
| To-many filters | some, none, every | $any, $all, $none |
| Swagger | ApiCrudList, ApiCrudQuery (optional @nestjs/swagger) | @PaginatedSwaggerDocs, @ApiPaginationQuery, @ApiOkPaginatedResponse |
| License | MIT | MIT |
Its npm page shows 16.0.1 published on 19 October 2026, and the GitHub repository had a push on 30 October 2026, as of November 2026. It is actively released.
What does nestjs-paginate do better?
Several things, each from its own README:
- Secure filtering by default. A column cannot be filtered at all unless it is in
filterableColumns, with its operators listed. In nestjs-drizzle-crud the allowlists are opt-in: with none set, any column can be filtered, sorted and selected. See Allowlists. - Response links. Each page carries
links.first,previous,current,nextandlast, plusmeta.totalPages.findAllreturnstotal,pageandlimitand leaves link building to you. - A text filter language.
filter=(color=$eq:black OR color=$eq:white) AND NOT name=$eq:Lechereads like a sentence and has a complexity cap (100 nodes by default). - JSONB paths, virtual columns and polymorphic (
~) columns for sorting, searching and filtering. - More databases through TypeORM, including SQLite.
- It works with your existing TypeORM repositories, so there is nothing to migrate if you are on TypeORM.
What does nestjs-drizzle-crud do that nestjs-paginate does not?
nestjs-paginate covers the read side only; its README documents no create, update or delete helpers. nestjs-drizzle-crud adds:
- Writes:
create,update,upsert,softDelete,restore,forceDelete, and mass versions that run in one transaction. See Bulk operations and Upsert. - Generated routes:
createCrudControllerregisters list, get, create, update, delete, soft delete, restore and trash routes. See CRUD controller factory. - Safety on writes:
writableColumns, optimistic locking, tenant scopes and typed exceptions that map to 404, 409 and 400. - Relation counts and grouped counts with
?counts=andcountBy. See Aggregates. - Drizzle ORM. If your schema is in Drizzle, nestjs-paginate cannot read it, because it works on TypeORM repositories and query builders.
How do the query strings compare?
The same list request in each, as each library documents it:
| Intent | nestjs-drizzle-crud | nestjs-paginate |
|---|---|---|
| Page and size | page=2&limit=5 | page=2&limit=5 |
| Sort | sortBy=-color | sortBy=color:DESC |
| Exact match | color=white | filter.color=white or filter.color=$eq:white |
| Operator | age[gte]=3 | filter.age=$gte:3 |
| Range | age[between]=4,6 | filter.age=$btw:4,6 |
| Negation | not[id][in]=2,5,7 | filter.id=$not:$in:2,5,7 |
| Null | seen_at[isNull]=true | filter.seenAt=$null |
| Starts with | summary[startsWith]=term | filter.summary=$sw:term |
| Search box | search=i (searches searchableColumns; a 400 without them) | search=i (searches searchableColumns) |
| Columns | fields=id,name,color | select=id,name,color |
| Soft-deleted rows | withDeleted=true (needs allowTrash) | withDeleted=true (needs allowWithDeletedInQuery) |
| Cursor | cursor= then cursor=<nextCursor> | cursor=<value> with paginationType: PaginationType.CURSOR |
See Parse query strings into filters for the nestjs-drizzle-crud side.
When should I choose nestjs-paginate?
Choose nestjs-paginate when:
- your project uses TypeORM,
- you only need paginated, filtered list endpoints and write the other routes yourself,
- you want strict per-column operator whitelists by default, response links, or the
filter=expression language, or - you need SQLite, JSONB path filters or virtual columns.
When should I choose nestjs-drizzle-crud?
Choose nestjs-drizzle-crud when:
- your schema is in Drizzle ORM on PostgreSQL or MySQL,
- you want reads and writes from one service, not only list pages,
- you want generated routes, soft delete, upsert, bulk writes or tenant scopes without writing them, or
- you want cursor pagination over text columns as well as numbers and dates.
Set the allowlists before you expose a list route, so a client can only touch the columns you name.
Common questions
No. Its README describes it as a helper for TypeORM repositories or query builders, and version 16.0.1 lists typeorm as a peer dependency.
No. findAll returns data, total, page and limit, plus hasMore when the count is skipped. Build links from those values if your clients need them.
nestjs-drizzle-crud always answers 400 for an unknown column or operator. nestjs-paginate ignores them by default and answers 400 when throwOnInvalidFilter is true.
It whitelists columns, not operators: filterableColumns names the columns a filter may use, and any operator works on a listed column.
Next steps
Pagination and sorting
The findAll envelope, page limits and the default sort.
Cursor pagination
Keyset pages with findByCursor and ?cursor=.
Allowlists
Limit which columns a client may filter, sort, select and write.
Drizzle vs TypeORM vs Prisma
Choosing the ORM before choosing the CRUD layer.
Migrating from @nestjsx/crud
Migrating from @nestjsx/crud to Drizzle ORM in NestJS. Convert entities to tables, services and @Crud controllers, and map every filter operator.
Drizzle vs TypeORM vs Prisma for NestJS
Drizzle vs TypeORM vs Prisma for NestJS CRUD. How each defines the schema, queries, migrates and plugs into Nest, and which CRUD layers fit each.